Poll: Rick Perry would crush Wendy Davis in 2014 governor’s race

In most states, Wendy Davis’ bravura performance on the state senate floor and the subsequent social media lovefest would have made her an instant favorite for statewide office.

But, as we all know, Texas is not your average state.

New poll data revealed dismal odds for the headline-grabbing Texas state senator should she run for governor.

In a hypothetical match-up, Davis would lose to Gov. Rick Perry by 14 points, though she has suddenly become the state’s most-liked state official and best-known Democrat, according to the Public Policy Polling firm.

A sign of the state’s conservative reality: 47 percent of those polled support the abortion restrictions that she battled for half a day — hardly the “out-of-the-mainstream” extremism alleged by Texas Democrats.

Perry retains a double-digit lead over Davis despite the fact that, frankly, he’s not very popular with your average Texan.

Perry has held onto his 50 percent disapproval ratings — with 30 percent of respondents viewing the governor “very unfavorably.” But the duel with Davis has definitely been a political asset for the unpopular governor: His approval rating has increased a net eight points since January.

He also gained ground in the Republican primary race since January, when 47 percent of respondents said they preferred “someone else” compared to 41 percent who chose Perry. The governor now beats out a generic competitor by five points, 44 percent to 39 percent.

Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said Davis’ rise in the polls was significant, but probably not enough to land her a seat in the governor’s office.

“Wendy Davis made a strong first impression on Texas voters last week,” Debnam said in a release. “But the chances that the state turns blue in 2014 still look pretty slim.”

Perry said he would announce plans for his “exciting future” Monday, after he delayed speaking about the 2014 race this week. His spokesman, Josh Havens, said Monday that Perry wasn’t rushing to announce and said he didn’t feel pressured by Davis.

Rick Perry says he'll announce "exciting future plans" on Monday. What would you like him to announce?

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Over the last three years, Perry’s overall approval rate – respondents who viewed Perry very or somewhat favorable – has stuck near 40 percent. Then came Davis, and his positive ratings spiked, at least among Republicans.

The governor’s most recent approval ratings — 30 percent of Texans reporting “very unfavorable” opinions of Perry in June — are on par with surveys conducted during his unpopular presidential bid last year.

That figure is nearly double the 17 percent of voters who said they strongly disapproved of Perry’s job as governor in May 2010, before he rose to the national stage.